Mark E Shellshear.

  The most exciting things we can do as original Artists is to innovate, experiment and be different, most won’t, the original trailblazing Artists always jump first. The timid and shy Artists will wait to see if it will work for the others as they don’t want to be first, so the y wait in safety. Once they see that it is safe to do it they jump in but it’s to late everyone else is doing it now also. Once everyone is doing it, it becomes boring because everyone is doing it. The innovative, experimental, original Artists have moved on to something new and exciting . The lesson for Artists is to always be innovating, experimenting and doing original work that way your Art will never be mediocre and boring. When yo do something new, we become someone new.

Sometimes we want to feel sorry for ourselves, complain about how unfair it all is and we tell ourselves a story that slows us down or stops us. Do not listen to the voice of fear going on in your head, do not get so down on yourself because life is still going on, the problem is not the whole world, just what is going inside your head. Do not let circumstances and your own critical inner voice defeat you, use that voice to your advantage. When the inner voice say’s don’t do that you will fail, decide to do it and see if you would really fail? When the inner voice said don’t paint that painting, people will laugh at you, paint it and see if people laugh? That inner voice is afraid and will do anything to stop you from taking a risk and doing new challenging things, it wants quiet, average, normal. Use that negative inner voice as a guide and say, I will do that. You cannot remove the fear but you can use it to motivate yourself. Next time that negative voice tells yo...

  Change comes almost always from outside the accepted Art normal. Don’t walk with the established Art crowd, be original and creative and don’t fit into the accepted pathways, they are imaginary everything is changing. Stop believing that it will always be like it is, it won’t, the Art world has changed and they can never put it back the way it was, the internet changed everything. The Artists who have reinvented Art have always gone outside the normal pathways to do things to create the new, original and important. The great ones always surprise us because we are looking for the obvious, we scratch our heads and say, w h ere did that Artist come from? When you believe that you can do it, the how to do it develops.

People say the Art world won’t change, yet it already is changing. They told me in the beginning when I started doing videos and blogs that no body would listen, they do. When we step out of our comfort zone and get uncomfortable you will be amazed at the difference you can make and what you can achieve, do not let anyone tell you that you can’t make a difference. You are important and you have all the power you need, just believe in yourself. Don’t listen to the negatives from inside and from outside and don’t let people tell you what you can’t do, show them what you can do. The most difficult thing to do is start and then to be consistent, then you will make change happen. Some of you will make a big impact on the Art world and some of you will make a big difference in your world and bring change. All of us need to imagine how things might be and then do all we can to make it our reality.

  Many come into the Art business believing that they will be different and that they will be magically an overnight success and I wish them well. The problem with that is that it can go away just as fast as it comes. Success takes time to build because you want it to last, so don’t rush it or be impatient it’s going to take time, ten years at least. Success comes to those who last the distance and produce consistent original Art works. Not painting much is not a useful way of building an Art career. Waiting to paint the perfect painting, your masterpiece, is a lousy strategy, you probably will not paint many painting because they will never be good enough. Don’t wait for inspiration to come before you start painting, it probably won’t come, it needs an invitation, start painting and it will turn up. Remaining an unknown Artist, being invisible is not the best strategy to becoming popular, you must get known, name and face recognition. Believing you do not have to...

When I first started my blog and then my video years ago I really thought that some people would try and stop me, but to my surprise people are rarely willing to step up and stop you. You do get the odd critic or two but on a whole most people support you and do not try and stop you or they just ignore you and hope you go away. I learned that what I feared came from within not from without and once the fear was silenced or rather ignored, I was amazed there were people waiting to listen to someone crazy enough to actually try and make a difference. Always my desire has been to see Artists earn a living from their Art and to bring about change in the Art world and before people used to give me a condescending smile whenever I said this as if I was crazy but change is happening. Every Artist that embraces the desire to change and does change as many have, we are changing the Art business one Artist at a time. Don’t worry about people stepping up and trying to stop you it wil...

  If an Artists believes that they are among the best, then they will preform at their best and create wonderful Art. If they believe in themselves, they find that good things will happen, because they expect them to happen, that is the story they are telling themselves. How we think about ourselves will determine how we act. How we will act either with courage or timidity, is shaped by our thinking. Determine to think positive now and future thoughts, don’t go back to the past to settle old scores in your mind you only project it into your future and your world today will be the same tomorrow. All of us are a product of all our past thoughts, we are living the reality of those past thoughts today. Change our thinking and we will change our tomorrows.

The Internet has given so many Artists the opportunity to showcase their work for all to see and this is mostly for free. We can now show our work on so many platforms around the world, the Art world has changed. With these new opportunities also come new responsibilities Artists did not have before, now we have to sell our Art as well as be the creator of our Art and this is where the majority of Artists find themselves. It is no good saying it’s not fair and you want it to go back to the old days because it will not go back, the Art world is forever changed. What we have to do is embrace the new reality and learn all we can about selling and promoting our work. We now have the opportunity to sell our work directly to our collectors with no middle man, you are in control of your future. It is an amazing time to live in, we can build our own Art business without being in a gallery so embrace the new reality and learn all you can to sell your Art, don’t count on the past t...

  Building value for our customers comes in two forms, giving great value in our Art works and being of personal value to our Art collectors. Bringing great value in our Art works is not about low prices but doing quality Art works at competitive prices, professionally finished and presented. We bring exceptional value to our Art work when we are confident within our selves and believe in what we are doing and that our Art makes a difference and brings joy into the lives of our customers. It is amazing the confidence you have in your Art when you believe that it makes a difference and your Art is important. Self belief is infectious and people will believe in you when you believe in yourself. Bring value to your Art business with professionally finished and presented Art works and believe in yourself and others will take notice and spread the word about you and your Art. Your best Art promoter is yourself and self belief is a game changer.

I believe all Artist must strive for excellence in their profession, and excellence does not start with those other Artists it starts with us personally. We must choose excellence first in our Art careers and create original work, clearly defining us as original Artists, h av ing original thought and creat ing new original work. We must strive to be the best Artist and the best person that we can be. I say this so often and it is not just a nice thought it is something we must work hard on always, it does not matter what others do, it is what we do that counts. We are responsible for ourselves, so always remember, o ur good name and reputation as an Artist is very important and we must do all we can to protect it. In a ncient text it says, a good reputation is more desirable than great wealt h. Strive for excellence in every area of your life.

  It is easy to tell you how to be successful, but hard to do. Of course you will need to paint, draw, create and innovate constantly, you will need to eat, breath and live your Art. You must be constantly creating and pushing yourself to come up with new original ideas and work hard and living with constant challenging ideas and being uncomfortable which is not for all, only for the few. Patience, this will take time, to be an overnight success will take at least 10 years or more. You will need you work hard on your own self improvement every day, nothing will change unless you change first. Finally you are far more creative, innovative and capable than you think you are, you can accomplish more than you think you can, so you need to push yourself hard to get the best out of you. Do this for you, change you and change your world.

  The truth is that doing what you have been doing is going to keep getting you what you have been getting. If what you are getting is no longer what you want and does not match your dreams and goals then you are going to have to change. To change yourself and change the story you have been telling yourself. If you want to do videos but the story you tell yourself is that you are waiting until you are comfortable doing them, then you will not do them, because no one feels comfortable when they start making videos. You have to tell yourself that being uncomfortable is fine and do it and then you get a different outcome. The action will not happen until the mind agrees to do it and if the story you tell yourself doesn’t change, then you will continue to get what you are getting. Change the story you tell yourself and you change the outcome.

In today’s environment the majority of Artists have to sell their own Art and so they have to learn new skills that the Artists of yesterday never had to deal with and I think this is a game changer. We have the opportunity to manage our own careers like no Artists before us, we are in control of our own destinies. This also comes with the responsibility for us to promote our own work and get the attention of strangers. We can do this for free on the Internet, it is up to us to use this wonderful opportunity or let it pass us by. You can do videos, blogs and stories of your work and you can do an unlimited amount, most social media puts no limits on how much you want to upload, what an amazing opportunity to promote yourself and your Art. Every day I am amazed that I can write a blog and make a video and I can post them for free on many sites and I do not need to get anyone's permission. Grasp this opportunity that is before us, do not take it for granted, use it whi...

  Do not think of success only in terms of money or in the quality of your life that you want to live and the influence and change you want to make in your world. Money is very important as we all have to survive but it is not as important as good health and personal fulfilment and seeing the lives of others change for the better. Do not allow yourself to be shaped by outside forces, decide on the Art lifestyle that you want and build your Art business around that. People are looking for leaders, that original voice that says, “ Come take my hand and I will lead the way.” So be seen and get peoples attention, do videos, write a blog, you will need to step out of the crowd so people will recognize you and know your name. Artists are looking for leaders like you in the Art world to help bring change so be generous and help others and then people will follow. One positive, generous, caring person can make a difference.

  In all our dealings with our customers, hesitate doing things quickly, the impulsive thing, it is usually wrong. Find out what your customer really wants by listening carefully and once you know what it is, you can then meet that need. Do not presume what your customer wants, learn to listen to them carefully and understand what they want. I think learning to listen is so important in selling, I am always amazed when talking to sales people and often people in general how little they hear and I know this by their answers and their eyes and body language. They presume what I am saying, not listening to what I am saying. Good listening is a learned discipline and I have learned to use triggers to make me listen because all sales are important. You cannot reflect back if you do not listen carefully to what they are saying. Artist train yourself to be a good listener, co...

Are we always courteous and friendly with the people we meet, showing them the same respect and courtesy that we want from them? We are always respectful and courteous to buyers and those we respect, but what about the other people, the not so important, the insignificant ones? Every person an Artist comes in contact with is important because that person no matter how unimportant will have an opinion about you after you have left them and that opinion could be good or bad. Respect is something earned, courtesy is something given. If you want respect, earn it by always being the best person you can be, show respect to the important and to the not so important people, these people matter also. Show courtesy to others first and they will be courteous back to you. Self importance is hollow and self serving and people see right through it, public approval and respect is earned and admired. Make sure that the unimportant people in the Art world as well as the important people k...

  To many painting look like to many other paintings, I always thought original Art should not be like any other Artists work, I did not want my work to be like the rest of the Art crowd. We must always paint work differently from other Artists do because we want paintings to reflect who we are and be our original work, we never want to paint like everyone else. Be different and discover what inspires you the Artist to produce your best work. You are on a journey of discovery, make original Art that reflects you and your personality, it is not just about your paintings, its about being yourself and painting life from your perspective, your vision, your life story. Be original, don’t copy other Artists work and paint what is very you, do original and different work that has never been seen before, it will take time to be accepted, be patient. So ignore what others are painting search out your Muse and stay true to her and paint your life and be original and be pleasan...

So many have a dream but are to embarrassed to talk about it, you must be courageous to dream and be prepared to talk about your dream, especially to yourself, affirmation is very important. Dreams take us forward and having big dreams is empowering and gives us the courage to make them a reality. For dreams to become reality the first person you must convince is yourself, you must sell yourself on your dream. You must believe that your dream is important and worthwhile, because if you are not totally sold on your dream, when setbacks and problems come and they will, most give up. When you tell people about your dreams some will be enthusiastic for you, some will tell you it is impossible, others will try and talk you out of it, don’t allow dream stealers to rob you of your dream. When a dream stealer tries to tell you that you can’t do that when they ask you about your dream, just responded and tell them, who is going to stop me? The truth is only you can stop you, it’...

Artists must never loose sight of how important to your Art business are the people who come in contact with your Art and love it. We need people to appreciate and buy our Art, so people are very important to us. We must consider how our Art serves others, how our Art touches others, how our Art influence others. Everything we do has to have a positive impact on someone and inspires them to be better and bring joy and happiness into their lives. It is always about the people we touch, the people we serve, the people we influence. The people whose lives are changed because of a beautiful painting, Art heals, Art inspires and Art brings happiness into broken lives, paint with all your heart because someone is depending on you to bring joy into their life. Never underestimate the power of your Art and the people you touch.

  You now have the freedom to market as you wish, you can experiment and innovate and do things differently. Make your own path, learn what you need to learn, read that book, do the YouTube seminar, listen to that podcast, it is all out there but you have to find it, learn it and do it. Learn all you can about selling and make videos about you and your Art, get face and name recognition if you do this you will get attention, connect with people and build a following. You do not have time to do it the old way, so don’t look for a road map do it differently, do it your way When you meet a stranger who loves your work and wants to buy it, sell to them and build a relationship with them and turn them into a friend and lifelong collector. Choose yourself and do it your way.

  The truth about life in the Art business like any business is that there is going to be ups and downs, it’s just the way life is. The most important thing that we can do is to learn from all of life’s lessons, what to do and what not to do. In the difficult times we must look at the problem and think how we need to change to fix it, because when we change everything changes. Often it takes a change of mindset and then the whole problem looks different. In the good times find out what we did and multiply our effort to keep repeating it, make the take personal changes. Grow from the pain of losing. Grow from the joy of winning. The key is keep growing and everything will change.

  We can all recognize a great Artist when they are great. I have have been told by different Artists, Gallerists and collectors that they can pick great Art before it’s great and what will sell. Now that is really easy if the Artist who painted is already famous but not so easy if they are just starting out or not well known. I have known Artist over the years that I thought would be famous and make the big time, today they don’t paint. The problem is picking winners before they win. If we could have bought  Claude Monet when he was starving and unknown and then sold him when he became famous we would be rich, but we didn’t and very few ever do.  We can all recognize a great Artist when they are great. I have have been told by different Artists, Gallerists and collectors that they can pick great Art before it’s great and what will sell. Now that is really easy if the Artist who painted is already famous but not so easy if they are just starting out or not we...